Packages are likely to reach the journal most efficiently if they are addressed to the editor rather than to a particular individual. AJS aspires to review books with two years of the date of publication. Requests for review should be made as close to the publication date as possible, so there is time for the selection, invitation, and publication process to unfold.

Because the number of book review pages in the journal is limited, not all books received at AJS will be reviewed. Preference is given to single-authored sociological monographs; conference volumes or edited compilations with a large number of short chapters are rarely reviewed in AJS. When AJS does review a book, two tear sheets are sent to the publisher and two to the book review author.

Reviewing a Book for AJS:

AJS does not publish unsolicited book reviews. If you would like to review books for the journal, please send your curriculum vita to ajs@press.uchicago.edu or to the address listed above. The AJS book review editor and board rarely accept self-nominations for the review of a particular book, but they will work hard to match scholars with their interests. Of course, AJS will not knowingly invite persons to review books when they have close personal or professional ties to the book’s author. This policy would exclude an author’s departmental colleagues, coauthors, and Ph.D. cohort members as reviewers.